Wristbands are used for a variety of different purposes such as, e.g., to retain a wristwatch, to indicate admittance to a popular concert or nightclub, to provide identifying information for a hospital patient, and the like. In these examples, the wristband provides information to the person (e.g., the time) or provides information about the person (e.g., their name). Further ankle-bands and/or other bodily applied bands may function in a similar manner.
More recently some types of wristbands have included the capability to electronically store information. For instance, a hospital band may include information about the patient—e.g., the name, age, and associated medical conditions of the patient. In certain instances, such bands may also include radio frequency identification (RFID) devices that allow remote access to the information stored therein.
Wristbands can be secured to the wrist of a person through the use of a buckle (e.g., such as on a typical wristwatch), elastic members, or simply mechanically constricting the band enough so that it will not slide off the hand of the person (e.g., handcuff restraints). Other types of bands may enable more sophisticated security schemes.
One example of this is electronic monitoring where the band may be locked into place and not removable without a specific “key.” A key could be a physical key or an electronic key that is used to control the locking and unlocking of the band. If the band is somehow removed (e.g., cut) then an alert may be triggered. Such a device is then both tamper resistant (e.g., due to the “key” requirement) and tamper alert (due to the alert that is triggered when cut).
However, these types of bands may be complex in operation and may be prone to false alarms, failure, or the like. Also, when a physical key is provided to allow unlocking of the band it can be lost, stolen, etc. Thus, it will be appreciated that new, improved, and/or otherwise interesting techniques in this area are continually sought after.
In certain example embodiments, a band does not require a key to lock or unlock the band (e.g., lock or unlock a patient bracelet used in a healthcare facility). For example, once a locking mechanism is based on a tool such as a key—residents can obtain the key or can try to break the lock (e.g., because the lock is externally accessible on the band). However, certain example embodiments hide the lock such that there is no visible lock to pry or access once the band is secured.
In certain example embodiments, a locking mechanism provides a strong lock on the release mechanism (e.g., a latch) of the band. The lock mechanically positions a “lock stopper” (e.g., a piece of metal, plastic, etc) in front of the release mechanism such that when the lock stopper is put into place it is very hard (e.g., infeasible) for a patient to trigger the release mechanism and remove the band.
In certain examples, the lock is coupled to a processor and transceiver in the band such that a remote computing system (e.g., operated by staff in a health care facility) can control the locked and unlocked state of the band.
In certain example embodiments, the lock stopper is a piece of material that a motor rotates into a locked position and out of the locked position. In certain examples, a processor and/or the motor can determine the positioning of the lock stopper based on whether a pressure sensor has been activated. For example, when the lock stopper is deployed in the locked position a corresponding structural element may contact a first pressure sensor. Activation of this pressure sensor may then indicate (to the internal processor) that the lock stopper has been moved to a locking position (e.g., to prevent the release mechanism from releasing). Conversely another pressure sensor is provided that activates when the lock stopper is moved to unlock position. The signals from one or both of the sensors may thus be used to electronically determine (e.g., by the processor of the band) whether the lock stopper is in an unlocked or locked state. This information can then be used by the processor to control a motor to move the lock to a specified location if desired.
In certain example embodiments, a band includes a housing, a latch (e.g., a release mechanism) and a lock stopper or blocking member. The housing has two elements that are movable with respect to each other when they are not secured. The latch is structured to secure the housing elements to one another such that they are effectively one unitary body. When the latch secures the two elements together the lock stopper may be moved into a locking position to prevent the latch from releasing. By moving the lock stopper into the locked position the latch is effectively locked in the secured position and the two housing elements cannot be (e.g., easily) separated.
In certain example embodiments, a strap is included with the band and is secured and/or affixed to the housing. In certain examples, one end of the strap is fixed to the housing while the other end is mated to the housing when the housing is secured. For example, the fixed end of the strap may be bolted or riveted to the housing and the “free” end of the strap may be placed into the housing and secured to the housing when the housing is closed and secured. In certain examples, the free end of the strap is coupled to the housing with cavities and corresponding matching protrusions that are provided in the housing, on the end of the strap, or both. Upon locking the secured housing, both ends of the strap cannot be easily removed (e.g., without destroying the strap or the housing)
In certain example embodiments, a circuit is created in a secured band by securing the housing and the strap. The processor in the housing may, responsive to securing the band, determine the resistance of the circuit and store that determined resistance to a memory device located within the housing. Thereafter, if the measured resistance of the band becomes less than or greater than a range or limit value(s) based on this initial determined resistance measurement, the band may trigger an alarm—e.g., sent to staff members of a health care facility
In certain examples, a band may include an advanced level of identification and tracking. In certain examples, the band includes a micro-computer chip and RF (radio frequency) antenna which allows the information to be written and retrieved by RFID readers and/or exciters. The following example actions may trigger a tamper alert: 1) cutting the band (e.g., the strap); 2) opening the housing without authorization; 3) the battery on the band becoming low; 4) detection of the band being in an unauthorized location or outside an authorized location; 5) detection of the band failing to “ping” a central server (or respond to a “ping” initiated from the central server or the like) for more than, for example, 60 seconds, and the like; 6) shorting the circuit formed by the secured band and strap. In certain examples, each trigger (e.g., examples 1-6 above) may correspond to a different identified type of alert. For example, a critical message notification may be triggered when the band is cut or a service level notification may be triggered if battery power on the band is below a certain threshold.